Sick sheep is back on tup form
One of our favourite older stock tups has been ill. Quite what struck him we don’t know but with his head hung solemnly, staring at the ground and his lack of appetite we thought that his days were numbered.
Sheep are notoriously difficult patients, they appear to be either alive or dead and there’s not much in between.
Anyway things were not looking too good for the tup, his guts looked empty and he even rocked a little, bracing his legs in an attempt to stay upright.
He was with his mates, another six tups and the last thing we wanted to do was hospitalise him, on his own and likely pining for his mates. All we could think of was to move him into some better grass to try and tempt him to start to graze again.
The field in which the shepherd’s hut stands looked like the perfect place for the patient to either recover or take the other option.
Fortunately, I had a very understanding guest staying in the shepherd’s hut who was happy to keep the gate shut and didn’t even complain when the tups came and scratched themselves underneath in the early hours.
Anyway, whatever ailed my tup left him as quickly as it came and he’s back eating again.
My guest didn’t even complain when the path to the hut was blocked and he had to take a detour around a sleepy sheepy, laid out on his side, dozing... counting sheep maybe.